7 dead, including 2 children, after a plane collided with a helicopter midair over the popular Spanish tourist island of Mallorca

Rosie Perper

08/26/2019

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STRINGER/AFP/Getty Images

STRINGER/AFP/Getty Images

Seven people, including two children, have been killed after a small plane collided with a sightseeing helicopter mid-air over the popular Spanish island of Mallorca.

Local media said two Spanish nationals were aboard the small aircraft, while an Italian pilot was believed to have been flying the helicopter and was transporting a German family of four. There were no survivors.

Spanish news agency Europa Press said the crash occurred at a height below 1,000 meters (32,000 feet). It is unclear what caused the crash.

Seven people, including two children, were killed after a small plane collided with a sightseeing helicopter midair over the popular tourist island of Mallorca, Spain, according to local media.

Spanish daily El Pais said the incident occurred around 1:35 p.m. local time on Sunday in the small city of Inca.

According to Diario de Mallorca , the pilot of the aircraft was identified as Juanjo Vidal from Valencia, and had been traveling with close friend Gustavo Serrano. The plane was believed to have been an Aeroprakt A-22, a Ukrainian two-seat ultralight aircraft that features high wings and tricycle landing gear.

The paper added that Italian national Cedric Leoni was believed to have been flying the helicopter, the Bell 206 Long Ranger, and his passengers were a German family with two children. There were no survivors.

Spanish news agency Europa Press said the crash occurred at a height below 1,000 meters (32,000 feet). The helicopter had departed from a civil airfield in Son Bonet, while the aircraft had flown from a small airfield in nearby Binissalem.

The cause of the accident is not yet known.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Snchez tweeted out his condolences following the crash.

"My solidarity and affection are with the families of the victims who have lost their lives in this tragic accident, including a minor," Snchez said.

The Government of the Balearic Islands announced on Twitter that it would observe a minute of silence on Monday in memory of those who lost their lives. Francina Armengol, the president of the regional government of the Balearic Islands, announced three days of mourning.

Mallorca is the largest island in the Spanish province of the Balearic Islands, and is home to nearly 860,000 people, according to government documents published in 2015 . The archipelago, which also includes other tourist spots like Ibiza and Formentera, is a popular vacation destination for people in Europe, particularly Germany and the UK.